Lone Flower
by Seto's Darkness
Summary: Naruto likes his bodyguard, Sasuke, but things aren't as simple as they seem. Since Sasuke's a spy that's hired to kill Naruto. [SasuNaru, others, YAOI, shounenai, AU]
1. Prologue Chapter

**Disclaimer : **I don't own anything.

**Warning : **slight OOC, **yaoi**,** shounen-ai**, some violence, assassins-and-the-like, slight language, some OCs. . .

**Notes : **Whoa, third SasuNaru :) I figured that the days of plainly reading awesome SasuNaru works are over! Especially now that SasuSaku are flooding the site, WE need to show our love for SasuNaru! –cheers- This time, I'd like to try an older Sasuke and younger Naruto :D

**Title Notes : **Bleach Third Opening Song _Ichirin no Hana_, sang by _High and Mighty Color._

**Inspired By: **Me watching too many Detective School Q and Detective Conan :P As well as the SasuNaru doujinshi, _Toshi no sa Nante_.

**

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Prologue

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A young child with vibrant yellow hair chased the butterfly that ran around him. He happily played in the vast gardens, unmindful of his surroundings. After all, didn't his mother tell him to enjoy himself on his birthday? His guards –the friendly men that trailed after him, wherever he went- are crouching on the spot hidden by some trees, watchful for anyone who could put him into danger.

However, the ones who planned to kill the young heir are more cunning and desperate. They pushed past the defenses aggressively, killing everyone blocking their goal. Young Naruto, only five years old, heard gunshots raining from the mansion's gates. He heard his mother –his mother with blonde hair and red highlights- shriek in surprise and horror, as blood splattered to the pristine white wall.

Young Naruto saw one of his favorite guards, Jun, fall down pathetically on the floor, red liquid seeping from his sky blue uniform and to the carpeted floor. He doesn't understand what's happening, but nobody could explain to him. Everybody's busy with their little toys –the guns- and nobody is there to watch over him and answer his curiosity.

The intruders are wearing black clothes, with masks slipped over their faces. Naruto thinks they look ridiculous, and he wanted to laugh at them. However, somebody picked him up, and he struggled against the man's grip. His mother screamed and he wanted to tell her to _stop screaming_, but his lips are sealed tight. He wanted to bite the other's hand covering his mouth; his mother is still screaming.

"Stop struggling, kid," The man's hoarse whisper is rough against his ears, "or I'll kill you," the declaration roused his father –who is already slumped near the railings of their spiral staircase, blood staining his stomach- and his mother who is wailing with tears streaming down her cheeks.

_Kill? What's that? Is that a game?_ Young Naruto has no idea about the dangers this man posed. Right now, he's wondering how long the guards stained with red would want to sleep on the floor. The floor doesn't seem very comfortable to the young Naruto.

Naruto was pulled away, and he saw his mother and father crying and blood staining their pretty clothes more and more. He wants to yell something, anything, but his young mind couldn't find anything to say. This is all just a game, right? _Just a game,_ he reminded his childish mind. As the only heir of their successful family, he was pampered all throughout his childhood, and he wasn't thought anything about the outside world and the dangers it holds.

He was brought outside his house, and he struggled some more. The man has burly and muscled body, and his kicks and punches could do nothing to harm his kidnapper.

"Put the pathetic _dobe_ down," A menacing voice sliced through the air, and Naruto blinked at the _young boy_ that blocked his kidnapper's path. Guns are pointed at the young boy with dark eyes and dark hair. Naruto wants to yell at the person, for _him to move away, _for him _to tell him what the hell does _dobe _mean_, anything!

Naruto couldn't see anything after that. Gunshots rained again –much harder than the attack earlier- and dust rose up uncomfortably and stung his blue, blue eyes. By the time his eyes stopped watering, he could see the person that held him lying down on the grassy lawn, eyes open and mouth wide. Blood oozed from the person's forehead.

Naruto could see the young boy that called him a _dobe_ a moment ago. The guy had some dust on his black sleeves, but his hands are posed rather confidently –and Naruto was reminded of the model he saw on one fashion magazine- and his lips are smirking confidently at him.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked with child-like wonder, tiptoeing away from the crimson colored liquid that seeped to his bunny slippers. The older boy beckoned him to move closer to him; Naruto obeyed. Something in the other boy's eyes told him to trust the other.

"I killed them," The guy said in an unapologetic voice, "Be thankful I saved you, _dobe_," There, there's that word again. Thankful?

"Hey, hey, what's your name, mister?" Naruto asked, tugging at one pale hand. The other didn't slap his hand away, though his dark eyebrows ticked impossibly fast at the word _mister_.

"It's Sasuke, usoratonkachi," The man replied.

"Oh. Thanks, Sasuke!" He said, and his grin overshadowed the sun's bright rays. His eyes are scrunched in a kid-like manner, appropriate for his age, making him unable to see, the blush that tainted the other guy's pale cheeks.

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**Ten Years Later

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**

He received a massive file folder, and he bowed down respectfully –hatefully- to his boss. His lips quirked into an emotionless sneer. The person in the folder, their company's biggest job, is somebody familiar to him. Killing somebody is no big deal to him; if he dislikes it, he would have quit his job years ago. Now… he is tasked to kill this person, even though he still couldn't understand why he needs to perform utmost care before he kills this _kid._ He doesn't see any need to try to mingle with this person before he kills him. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The pay on this job is bigger than all his other jobs for the past ten years totaled altogether.

The same kid that thought that killing is merely a game… The same sun-colored hair, the same ocean-blue eyes…

"Uzumaki Naruto, eh?"

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**TBC**

Short, I know. But I want you guys to comment on the idea first :P I'm a bit insecure about my skills in writing action scenes. I'm excited about the older-Sasuke and younger-Naruto, mixed with assassin-Sasuke and innocent-Naruto :)

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**Teaser For Next Installment: **

"I'm scared, Sasuke," Naruto mumbled against his bodyguard's muscled chest. They're hiding in the closet, the older male's ears pressed against the thick door, carefully listening for the footsteps that could come towards them. Naruto underwent this lecture already, _be careful against any bad guys,_ and stuff, but this is his first time experiencing it.

"Shh, you're safe with me," Sasuke said softly, his long bangs tickling Naruto's cheek, as the other's lean arms held him tight. To Naruto, this may be the most dangerous day of his life… but… _he looked at his guard's concentrating face_, and decided that this could count as his happiest as well.

**Flames are ignored. Reviews will make me a very happy authoress :D**


	2. Chapter 1: Let Me Be With You

**Apologies : **I was supposed to upload this on Saturday, but I just could NOT log in –fumes- and the same goes for Sunday as well. I'm not quite sure if the problem's in my comp, in my account or –sweatdrop-

**A/N : **Wow. I'm amazed by the amount of reviews that came flooding my inbox :) **Thank you**, thank you very much, everyone, and I hope that I won't disappoint you with my little ficcie! I hope you'll be patient with me and my obvious inability to write action scenes –sweatdrop- **Read and Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer : **_Naruto_ doesn't belong to me.

**Warnings : **Contains **SasuNaru YAOI **and **shounen-ai**. Full warnings at Prologue Chapter. Nothing explicit, but this story is rated **M** for a reason. This chapter contains insults, curse words –**slight language **and** mild violence**- since this is **Naruto** and **Sasuke's** **first meeting** XD **guns** and the like –along with two hot teens locked in a **closet**- is also here.

**Title Credits : **From _Chobits soundtrack, _sang by _Round Table (feat Nino)_.

**Chapter One : Let Me Be With You**

"Naa, naa, Sakura-channnnnnn!" He said, delaying the 'n' sound at the end of his friend's name, knowing it would irritate her and cause her to show interesting reactions. Sometimes, her forehead would shine very brightly, almost blinding him; sometimes, in her anger, she'd lift up the whole table and smash it on anything nearby –which almost always happens to be Naruto.

As expected, the girl named Sakura exploded at the playful call, and rammed her fist down the nearest table, creating a huge dent and nearly splitting the piece of furniture into two.

"What do you want, _Naruto_?" There is a painful stress on his name, and he cringed slightly at the silent threat of violence. But then, he remembered that this is _his_ house, _his _mansion, and he couldn't be bullied under his own territory!

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" He asked the perpetual question, and Sakura gave her reply by punching Naruto mightily on the blond's face, causing the blonde-haired teen to give a howl of pain. They continued for a few more minutes, starting, stopping, and restarting their ritual, their unchanging conversations, their everlasting interaction.

One might think that they'd get bored with the repetitive questions and answers, but to the two friends, it just reaffirms that nothing would change between the two of them.

Little did they know, that with the appearance of just _one_ person, the seemingly-perfect and strong friendship would chip away, just like how rust invades a shining and steady metal and corrodes it.

**

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"Are you ready, Uchiha?" A gruff voice asked him, and he nodded mutely, not really caring about the person following his trail. He stopped by his room, and the person –who he thinks had nothing else important to do- came parading in as well.

"Wow, dude, you've got a nice couch!" Inuzuka Kiba exclaimed, plopping himself unto one of Sasuke's plush leather couches, causing an imperceptible twinge in Sasuke's eyebrow. He doesn't let himself be riled up by these small, _idiotic_ things, though. He easily ignored the young man bouncing childishly on his couch, and fetched his pre-prepared suitcase, and checked if he forgot anything.

All the clothes, the artillery, the documents, all of them are safely tucked in different portions of his navy blue trench coat, while the dispensable materials –the ones that look _safe_- are inside his midnight-black suitcase. It's not overly cold outside, but he prefers to look professional and intimidating at all times, which is why he wears the long trench coat, with its billowing ends with every step he takes.

He removed his black gloves and folded them neatly, tucking them inside the small pocket of his luggage. He stared coolly at the man enjoying himself inside his room, loitering around and messing around with the little of his things.

But then, Kiba had gotten _too_ close. He is two steps away from his display table, and he is two steps from seeing the golden-framed picture. Instinctively, Sasuke moves swiftly –almost like a passing shadow from a dimming light source- and in a flash, his hand is wrapped snugly around Kiba's neck, threatening to apply that bit of pressure that would decide the dog-lover's life or death. Kiba's face is a mixture of shock and awe, but the anxiousness at the hand lifting him up from the carpeted floor is the most evident of all the emotions swimming freely on his face.

"Let me go," Kiba gasped, his hands clawing at Sasuke's gloved ones, and even though Kiba had long nails –resembling those of a wild animal's- the pale man doesn't give any sign that he's hurt by the _feeble_ attempts at leaving.

"Stop messing around with _my_ things," Uchiha Sasuke hissed, his eyes sparkling eerily with the clear intent to break the dog-boy's neck into two if the other neglects his warning. Kiba nodded –or _tried_ to, at least- and Sasuke released his firm hold, letting the other fall helplessly and harmlessly on the floor.

"Get out," Sasuke pointed to the door, just in case the other is too stupid –or petrified- to figure out where the door is. Kiba doesn't need to be told twice; he was out Sasuke's dark and gloomy room in mere seconds, leaving the room's occupant staring vacantly at the picture frame that the other almost saw.

It's a picture of a young boy, with brilliant blue eyes, golden skin, and sun-colored hair.

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Konoha High School, as usual, contains the huge array of students from both affluent families and those with brains but not much financial means. It's known as the best school in Japan, not only because it's sponsored by the government, but also because the country's most influential families choose to let their children be schooled in this school. The entrance exams are rigorous, and the school prides in keeping its policy of only accepting students that finished the examinations with flying colors.

Uzumaki Naruto, fifteen years old, is the heir to the Uzumaki Corporation, an internationally-acclaimed pharmaceutical company. Their company hires geniuses from all over the world to strengthen their teams' caliber in developing new drugs that are really safe and effective. He is one of the freshmen students in Konoha High School, along with his childhood friend, Haruno Sakura.

Much to Sakura's –as well as the others who know Naruto- disbelief, the blond is included in the top class, where the most advanced training is granted. The Top Class is the _prodigy class_ of every batch, and it's every student's dream to be on this class, at least once in their life.

Right now, Naruto is walking down the familiar hallway leading to their classroom, as lunch break will be finishing in less than ten minutes. Walking with him is Sakura, Shikamaru and Temari.

Shikamaru was admitted along with him, and the guy is known for his lazy attitude and his desire to sleep in class, or watching the clouds from the classroom's window. This type of behavior usually gets a person on the lowest level of the class, but Shikamaru's different. He passes all the exams with top marks –he doesn't score less than 98 percent- even without studying. The only downside with his attitude is that he rarely hands in assignments, lab reports, projects, and the like, pulling down his grades.

Temari is a brash, _scary_, sophomore. She knows Naruto because the second best section in the second year shares some subjects with the top section in the first year. Even though one of Temari's favorite habits are ordering Naruto and Shikamaru around, she still can't rival Sakura's fierceness whenever the pink-haired girl's mad.

"Waa, I don't wanna go to classssss," Naruto whined noisily, unmindful of the people who might get offended if they heard him. One good thing about Naruto is that he doesn't let other people's opinions affect his emotions and actions; he doesn't have a mask over his feelings.

Sakura hit Naruto over the head, as Temari hit the blond with her fan on Naruto's forearm, causing Uzumaki to give a louder yell of pain. After complaining about mean girls and abusive friends, Naruto hurriedly ran to his class. There's a high possibility that it's because Sakura is running after him, with her eyes glazed with the desire to hit Naruto again –_much, much more painful than before_.

Temari and Shikamaru hang back; the students who cared to pay attention to the little group's interaction shaking their head bemusedly at Naruto's antics. The two effortlessly slipped on the empty corridor, blending carefully on the long shadows.

"Temari, reporting," Temari spoke to her blazer's collar, where a small piece of communicator is attached. Shikamaru is busy writing down notes while checking if anybody's stupid enough to try to see what's going on.

"Uzumaki Naruto still doesn't suspect anything. However, we fear that _they_ already sent some others to this school as well." A few pauses, with Temari humming her agreement, the tone merely above a secretive whisper. It wouldn't do any good, after all, for them to get discovered this early in the operation. Suddenly, Temari's azure eyes looked pointedly at Shikamaru, and the lazy genius revealed his own communicator, listening intently on their boss' inquiries.

"Hyuuga Neji is on our watch list. We suspect that he's a spy from _them_," Shikamaru said lowly on the metallic object beeping on his uniform's collar. A moment of pause from their boss, before he spoke again in his cool, classy voice.

"Red Eyes will soon be joining the operation. For now, set the stage for him and keep your cover." The tone he used when he replied told both Shikamaru and Temari that everything's under control.

"Yes, Itachi-sama," they chorused, before straightening their uniforms and walking calmly to the hallway, unnoticed by the crowd of students.

**

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**

"Orochimaru-sama, here is the list of the current activities in Operation 393," Yakushi Kabuto said, handing a folder to his boss' table, staring intently at the pale, snake-like man seated on the executive's chair in front of him. They're at Tower C, and Uchiha Itachi –the owner of everything in the area- had been _generous_ enough to give one of his subordinates, Orochimaru, an office with large, wall-sized plasma screens, making investigations much easier.

At the moment, however, Orochimaru preferred to turn off the monstrous televisions, and kept the lighting at minimum. The dark aura of the room increased greatly, but Kabuto is too used to his boss, to the point that he doesn't fear for his life if he accidentally pissed Orochimaru off.

"Very well, Shadow and Wind have already infiltrated Konoha High School," Orochimaru intoned in a raspy voice, but his tone spoke of satisfaction with the assassins' progress. Everybody's working hard for this operation, but—_he_ is determined to take everything away after the stage has been set.

"I heard that Red Eyes is going to be sent to directly interact with the target, but Scarecrow is sent along with him," _to make sure he doesn't go out of control again_, Kabuto said, leaving some parts of the sentence unspoken.

"You're dismissed," The snake-man said fondly, grinning evilly inside his darkened room. When the time is right… he's going to take everything Uchiha Itachi has been working hard on for ten long years.

**

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**

Footsteps hitting the tiled floor, the person walking back and forth in an anxious display.

"Your assignment is to protect my son, Naruto. You are free to trail after him, use your own methods, _anything_, as long as he's safe."

Twin nods. The taller of the two new recruits is smiling encouragingly, though with the mask slapped on the better half of his face, it's hard to tell. The younger one had a bored, strict, blank expression on his face, but his eyes are impatient, telling the employer to get on with it.

"I've been receiving a stream of threats on my son's life, and I want him to be safe at all costs. Your salary will be issued to your credit cards,"

Twin nods.

"Please try to get along with my son. He does his best to befriend his guards, so it'll be the same with you two."

Twin nods, one more mechanical, while the other is more carefree.

"Any questions, please ask me. I try not to worry my son too much about these things. For other things regarding the household rules and the map of the estate, please refer to TenTen, the head servant."

Twin nods.

"Well then," the old man is brightened, "I'll accompany you two to meet my son."

Twin nods, one busy scanning the whole area with his red-colored eyes, while the other is busy attaching a microchip on the much-older man's neck.

"Please follow me."

Twin nods. Twin smirks. Part one, completed.

**

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**"You must be my new bodyguards!" Their target enthused, happy with meeting new friends. He just came from school, after finishing another boring discussion of the tragic Shakespearean play, _Hamlet_. Uzumaki Naruto, 15, is everything the papers described. He is loud, vibrant, youthful, and practically radiating naïve innocence. 

Naruto looked at them expectantly, blinking huge blue orbs. The taller one laughed sheepishly, rubbing his neck in an embarrassed manner, before bowing respectfully. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, and I'm pleased to be working with such a friendly person!" Naruto chuckled along with the silver-haired man, getting along fairly well with the other.

"And you?" Naruto prompted to the younger one, who is brooding on one corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest. While Kakashi is wearing a simple black shirt and denims, the other yet-unnamed guy who looks around his age is wearing a navy blue trench coat that seems to hug his body's lean frame.

The other remained silent, while Naruto remained blinking, standing in the middle of the room, looking expectant. "WELL!" The blond fumed; Naruto's father, a balding old man, looked pointedly at Kakashi. The masked male shrugged helplessly, unable to control his charge's stand-offish behavior.

Naruto marched right up to the second bodyguard, glaring hard. "I try to be friendly and you ignore ME! You're such a selfish, conceited, arrogant, bossy—" While Naruto is fuming, he gestured wildly with his hands, and he kept on walking around the other teen. On his anger, he didn't notice his untied shoelaces, and he tripped on them accidentally, landing flat on his face against the cold, tiled floor.

Naruto's father left before the mess started, while Kakashi moved out of harm's way, quietly observing the duo's interactions. "YOU! It's your fault I tripped!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the teen who looks mildly amused at his target's actions.

"Don't ask me HOW, I just know it. A-HA! You untied my shoelaces while I wasn't looking, you mean octopus-head—" Naruto continued babbling nonsense and insults, sputtering his indignation while blushing profusely. If it's because he landed on his face, or because of his anger, or because the person he's yelling at is staring coolly and rather _intensely_ at him, nobody would know.

"Don't blame me for your clumsiness, moron," The guy replied arrogantly, his voice cold, though his lips are quirked into a challenging smirk, enjoying making his supposed-"master" fume childishly.

"Who're you calling a moron, bastard—!"

"I said you're a moron, stupid."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY—"

"Not just a moron, it just had to be a deaf and stupid one… That's rather pathetic, don't you think, dead-last?"

"That's it, bastard! TAKE THIS!"

Naruto threw a punch, which the other teen easily blocked. The pale-skinned man countered the blond's attack, unmindful of Kakashi watching his actions intently. The scuffle went on for a short while, before the other successfully pinned Naruto down on the floor. The heir to the Uzumaki Corporation struggled wildly, but seeing that the other is a trained fighter, there's no surprise that Naruto's struggles are fruitless.

"Give up, _dobe_." The word shocked both Naruto and his new guard, but it was gone, much like the fleeting memory buried deep within their minds.

"That's enough for the ice-breaker, don't you think?" Kakashi asked sweetly, and the other guard pushed himself off Naruto. Kakashi held out a hand to Naruto, which the blond gladly took.

The other guard made his way out the room, but Naruto's voice rang clearly. "You haven't answered—"

"Uchiha Sasuke; and I'm not pleased to work with people like you, unlike Kakashi."

Though the words are harsh, the tone is fond and affectionate, and it's enough to make the understanding smile bloom on Naruto's face, even with Sasuke's back turned to him.

**

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**

"I'll make this quick," Scarecrow said, folding his hands on his chest, gazing intently at his companion, watching how the silver moonlight seemed to caress Red Eyes' facial features. No matter how beautiful, graceful or _feminine_ Sasuke looks, the underlying current of lethal intent and the buried, darkened soul is still present in his pale and dark features.

"What do you want, _Scarecrow_?" Sasuke's question is biting, and Kakashi has the inkling that Sasuke knows what he is going to talk about.

"You're earlier _scuffle_ with the target," Kakashi said, indicating Sasuke's interaction with the blond, "You're acting weird, Sasuke." His statement is straight to the point, yet still dancing around the topic. The narrowing in Sasuke's eyes showed his displeasure, but the change in his facial expression faded away completely in less than a blink. _You're acting as though you're a normal human, Sasuke_, Kakashi thinks, and even though he strongly wishes for that to happen, he knows that it's impossible given the nature of their job, given the young man's past, given the cruel fate he's enduring, and given the clouded future he's not supposed to have.

"I'm not acting weird." Coldness seeping through the conversation, though Kakashi wondered _when_ has Sasuke been _not_ cold. "I'm just fulfilling the order to _interact_ properly with our target." The darkness folded to itself, and suddenly surged forth, enveloping the younger male completely as he walked away. The footsteps are moving further away from him, but Kakashi knows. He probably knows better than Sasuke himself.

_You… you treat others as though they're mere _things_. I haven't seen you act like that before, Sasuke. Don't… please don't act like this. Not now._

**

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**

"Platinum, I'm going to assign you to take care of Human Number 19836-3354, also known as _Haruno Sakura_," The boss' steely voice commanded the blonde female standing a few feet away from the long, polished, mahogany table. The black-haired man tossed a file folder at the blonde, which she deftly caught without even looking at the projectile. The rustling of papers was heard for about a minute, until the sound of a folder snapping shut resonated inside the dimly-lit room.

"I'm up to it, Itachi-sama," She said, a smirk dancing on her features. Her back is as straight as a rod, showing utmost strictness in front of her superior. Her posture radiated confidence, since she has no second thoughts about giving nothing but her best in any of her missions; she is oozing confidence because she _knows_ that she'll complete her part of the operation with flying colors.

Those strangely-red eyes are cold and emotionless as they gazed at her, seeing right through her. "You're dismissed." His voice is as cold as his eyes, betraying nothing. After bowing respectfully, she exited the room. She walked down the glass floors, her boots' heels clicking against the floor, and she met Shikamaru on her way towards her private quarters.

"Good luck on your job, Ino," Shikamaru said offhandedly, waving slightly at her. She turned around and smiled at the walking man's back, before going down the opposite direction as him. It's time for her skills to be used by their boss, and she won't hesitate in doing everything ordered to her.

"This is going to be easy," Yamanaka Ino, the person under the codename _Platinum_, murmured, as she packed her things into a small duffel bag, her room only illuminated by the lights of the city's numerous establishments and other glitzy attractions.

_Manipulate Haruno Sakura and destroy one of the target's most important _bonds

**

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**

She just finished her shower, one hand holding the towel up on her hair. She is only clad in her dainty nightgown, and she sat down delicately on her queen-sized bed. The cushion accommodated her body's shape and weight immediately, and she remembered why she liked this cushion so much. She spent half an hour preparing herself for bed, and she was about to close her lights when—

"It's easy. This girl's too damn easy," Sakura's lips opened and formed those words, but the voice that came out is deeper, more sinister. The highly-admired-by-the-boys-in-her-class emerald-hued eyes became dull and glassy, much like how hypnotized people look like. Sakura's pair of feet forgot their earlier task of going towards the bed and instead moved to the nearby desk, and Sakura's hands –that were holding up her towel and the brush for her pink hair- distractedly dropped the expensive hairbrush on her bedroom floor. Instead, the hands extended forward, and rummaged through Sakura's drawers, searching for her diaries, entailing her relationships, emotions, and friendships throughout her life.

A cruel-sounding laugh bubbled easily, almost mechanically, from Sakura's lips, as the retrieval of the diary was successful. The hands opened the lock effortlessly, without any struggle from the mind-controlled girl.

_Too easy, _Platinum thought, speed-reading the contents of the diary. Everything that she needs to know to complete her part of the operation is encoded in the diary. And so Yamanaka Ino reads, through Haruno Sakura's body and eyes, the details of Sakura's childhood, experiences and personality.

_Hmm, I know what to do to break her friendship with the target,_ The victory is swimming in Sakura's vacant eyes, and the smirk in Ino's _real_ body is nothing less than pure evil.

_Itachi-sama is going to be very pleased._

**

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**

It has been a week since Sasuke and Kakashi first joined their team of bodyguards, and so far, no threat has been executed yet. Everything's relative peaceful, unless one forgets to count all the incidents that caused even Kakashi –who is known for his amazing impassiveness with people's outbursts- to sweatdrop and look defeated quite a lot of times. Of course, the incidents included their Young Master Naruto trying his best to _hang around with _cool and aloof Sasuke, but every encounter ended with the blond fuming and _hat_ing Sasuke even more, and the dark-haired teen smirking the entire time.

One such incident is during Naruto's "study time". The young heir has been complaining about his advanced lessons that he couldn't understand throughout their dinner. Sasuke _so happened_ to be idly walking –keeping watch, he insisted mentally- nearby Naruto's room when the blond was doing his homework, and when Naruto ran out of his room while screaming in frustration, he saw Sasuke and pulled the older man inside. Giving his most pitiful puppy dog eyes, Naruto pleaded his new bodyguard to help him with his work. Of course, he _wasn't_ expecting the arrogant guy to actually sit on _his_ chair and do all his work in merely ten minutes.

Naruto, after staring with awe at Sasuke, screamed again, pulling at his spiked hair. "Waa, you CHEATED! How could you finish it in 10 minutes when I took more than three hours! Waa, Sasuke's a CHEATER! You stupid—"

"I think you're messing up with the descriptions, moron. _You're_ the stupid one, _not me_," Sasuke stressed out, his lips etched in that familiar, superior smirk, infuriating Naruto further. The newest bodyguard was soon _chased out_ of the heir's room, but if one was observing, there was a small smile on their faces, amidst their screaming and insults.

Naruto likes befriending all the people residing in their house, and nobody was able to resist his charms before. But Sasuke proved to be a tough challenge –though Kakashi thinks _otherwise_- and Naruto wishes that he could have the power to let Sasuke open up, even just a tiny bit.

The Young Master refuses –followed by a string of sputtered denials; all done mentally, of course- to listen to the small, wise voice at the back of his head that teasingly whispers, "_It's because you want to see his smile_."

**

* * *

**On one Sunday afternoon, Uzumaki Naruto is busy cramming. They have a long quiz tomorrow, and he hasn't started studying. He locked his room's door, as he always does whenever he's _trying_ to concentrate. The words in front of him are becoming blurred, and he sighs deeply, wanting to just sleep, or at least, do something enjoyable. Books with different variations of the title _Guide to Shakespeare's Hamlet_ are stacked on top of each other, giving a funny remake of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unsurprisingly, given Naruto's lack of interest in the particular gloomy and morbid tale, the pile of books remained untouched. On one Sunday afternoon, Uzumaki Naruto is busy cramming. They have a long quiz tomorrow, and he hasn't started studying. He locked his room's door, as he always does whenever he's to concentrate. The words in front of him are becoming blurred, and he sighs deeply, wanting to just sleep, or at least, do something enjoyable. Books with different variations of the title are stacked on top of each other, giving a funny remake of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unsurprisingly, given Naruto's lack of interest in the particular gloomy and morbid tale, the pile of books remained untouched. 

"Damn, I want to finish this…" He whined to nobody in particular, before he sighed deeply again. _I'm never going to get done with this…_

**

* * *

**

"Where's the Young Master!" "Find him!" "Protect HIM!"

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" "Don't move or I'll shoot!" "Search the mansion for the heir and the wealth!"

"Oh my God, where's Naruto-sama!"

Confusion broke out, and the bullets and footsteps could be heard from anywhere in the mansion.

Bullets rained from the strategically-positioned machine guns, along with well-stationed men with pistols. "Sasuke, where are you going!" Kakashi's voice is panicked and hoarse, and even with the mask over his face, it's apparent that his mouth is opened widely, the words spilling out hurriedly.

Uchiha Sasuke ran towards the stairs, only clad in a simple all-black attire composed of just a shirt and pants, protecting himself from the array of bullets and attackers with only his bare fists. He disappeared into the shadows of the second floor's display stationed in a way that it almost blocks the walkway on top of the staircase.

Kakashi mentally counted to five, calming himself and telling himself that Sasuke is one of Itachi's best men, and the stubborn kid wouldn't put himself into danger willingly.

Unless… it's all because of Naruto—

Kakashi frowned and he punched one of the attackers straight to his gut, knocking him out. _Sasuke… what's happening to you?_

**

* * *

**

Naruto feels _lost_. One moment, he was trying his best to cram all the information about the play, _Hamlet_, into his poor, abused brain; the next thing he knew, Sasuke –sweating and panting and looking as panicked as all cool guys could be- burst in to his room and shut the door quickly, but quietly, and immediately opened the windows and pushed the curtains aside.

The young heir was about to demand _how the hell_ did Sasuke manage to open his _locked_ door, but his bodyguard pushed his face close to him, and hissed, "Stay quiet." Naruto isn't the type to follow orders from _any_one, but the look of absolute control in Sasuke's coal eyes told him to stay quiet for the while. After all, there has to be an explanation why he could hear screams, hurried footsteps and random gunshots from the first floor.

"Is there a hiding place nearby? Something _very _small and inconspicuous," Sasuke asked him, and Naruto whispered the places he could think of. When he mentioned the word _cabinet_, the pale man dragged him forcefully –and Naruto let himself be dragged like a limp doll- towards the aforementioned area, and opened the door. Black eyes scanned the area, and after deeming it enough to hide them both, he pushed his employer towards the small space near the set of neatly-stacked clothes. Sasuke followed shortly after, and produced a near-invisible string and tied it to the handle of the cabinet outside. He pulled carefully, and the cabinet door slowly started to close.

The cabinet, fortunately, is enough to hide the two of them, but it's only if they stay still. Naruto is squirming beside him, and he pushed down the urge to smack the blond. Sasuke lowered himself slowly to the floor of the tall, wooden cabinet, and he pressed his ears against the wood. He could hear distant footsteps, and he cursed beneath his breath.

The cabinet has lots of compartments, but behind all those is the extra space, which Sasuke has presumed is used for hanging long suits and pants from hangers. It gave him an idea, and he ordered Naruto to climb up the series of compartments silently –and of course, avoid toppling down all the clothes- and drop down to the more spacious part. After the blond has settled on the other side, he followed suit, and he rearranged the folded clothes so that it would the two of them unseen from outside.

There's only a crack of light coming from the tiny space between the two cabinet doors, and Sasuke completely placed darkness upon them when the sound of a door bursting open was heard.

The bodyguard hopes that the intruders are stupid enough to fall for the trick he did with the windows; he hopes that they would think that Naruto escaped through the opened windows. After all, there's some ledges surrounding the mansion, and if Naruto really wanted to, he could cross using those and he could escape successfully. It isn't the case, apparently, as the person who went in called for a few more back-ups, and did some thorough searching of the room –and the rooms beside Naruto's bedroom- as proven by the bustling sounds and the clanking sound of guns and shoes.

There's a gunshot that went towards them, and if Sasuke hasn't pulled Naruto's face down, while putting a hand on his mouth to stifle any gasps, the bullet would have splattered Naruto's brains. "Not here," They heard the person speak loudly, but Sasuke isn't buying it. It's most probably a trick to try and make them put their guard down.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw Naruto shaking, while situated near his legs, as he is seated calmly on the floor. He _poked_ Naruto's forehead softly, and pulled at the blond's shirt. Naruto _somehow_ understood, and went to the shelter of Sasuke's open arms –well, as open as he could do it with the cramped space anyway- and he pushed his face against the other's chest, while the other merely held him securely.

"I'm scared, Sasuke," Naruto mumbled against his bodyguard's muscled chest. Naruto underwent this lecture already, _be careful against any bad guys,_ and stuff, but this is first time he could remember experiencing it. He… _I'm scared…_

Sasuke repositioned Naruto so that the blood would still circulate on his legs, and it ended up with Naruto's face practically pushed roughly between his shoulder and neck. The intimacy of the position would have made Sasuke twitching with the urge to kill the person _dumb _enough to actually do this to him, but Naruto is different. Very different.

"Shh, you're safe with me," Sasuke said softly, his long, bluish-black bangs tickling Naruto's cheek, as the other's lean arms held him tight. Their words are mere whispers, but to each other, even though they haven't known each other for a long time, the words are almost unnecessary to convey what's happening. To Naruto, this may be the most dangerous day of his life… but… _he looked at his guard's concentrating face_, and as he remembered the warm arms nestling him safely, he decided that this could count as one of his happiest days as well.**

* * *

**

It was a very stressful weekend, especially yesterday, but the teachers wouldn't accept his pleading that he wasn't able to study –err, _cram_, actually- because of some "important business". He doesn't know whether he should tell Sakura about what happened, because… it felt _too private_, and he doesn't _want_ anybody else to know.

Kakashi had called them out twenty minutes later, saying that everybody's been taken care of. Sasuke had reluctantly let him go, and the bodyguard immediately went forward, opening the door carefully and the gun he was holding was quickly pointed at the first person he saw. It happened to be Kakashi, and he could still remember the masked man's faked words of hurt at the gun pointed at him.

His father went home almost a minute after that, yelling about his son. He told them that he had received a _death threat_, but he forgot to warn them about it because he thought that it was just a joke. He had apologized profusely to Naruto and to Sasuke –who looked ready to slice somebody's head off- and promised to give his son whatever he wanted. Naruto _demurely_ asked for quite a lot of food, which his father immediately ordered from a fancy restaurant.

"Class, the test would start now. Read the Rule Book first before proceeding to the exam. Part Three needs to be answered with an added discussion of Shakespeare's words and sentences compared to the Standard English one. This examination would end in 180 minutes."

Naruto started writing down his answers, skipping the questions that he's unsure of. The examination time is rather short, considering that almost everything has to be answered in essays comprising ten sentences. However, he managed to finish everything –with some questions containing loads of beating around the bush without giving a proper answer- in time.

His hands are shaking and sweating slightly after the exam, and he turned to his seatmate, Sakura. "How was it?" The girl addressed gave him a heavy and depressed sigh as an answer and he chuckled slightly. Heavy moans of disappointment rippled through the class, and Naruto agrees wholeheartedly with him.

They walked slowly –the walk reminding Naruto of zombies walking out of their graves- towards their next class, and hoped that their homeroom teacher would just give them some time off. They aren't exactly in the mood for some "mind games" right now, which their adviser is so much fond of. As their walk progressed, he thought he caught a glimpse of a crown of bluish-black hair, but he chalked it up to recalling the events yesterday.

They reached the classroom in a moment, with Naruto slumping to his desk dejectedly. He thinks that he butchered the exam completely, but he couldn't do anything at this point. A swarm of girls squealing and a couple of guys looking put-out entered the classroom, and it immediately caused everybody near the front rows to gossip and giggle madly.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what's going on? Rika looks more giggly than the last time I saw her," Naruto asked his friend but Sakura's eyes are wide as she gazed at the newcomer. A blush dusted her cheeks, and she demurely puffed her hair and checked her overall appearance. A demure smile flitted across her lips, and she fluttered her eyelashes towards the front row.

Naruto's gaze followed her emerald eyes, and he gasped in shock. Thankfully, Sakura didn't notice it, as she was too love-struck to care. All the girls in the class sighed dreamily –and some boys joined them- while the majority of the male population frowned in disapproval. Naruto, however, is too dumbstruck and surprised to give a proper reaction.

Their adviser, a woman in her late forties, ushered the new person forward, at the center of everybody's attention. The newcomer doesn't mind –and doesn't seem to care- about the flurry of activity that his presence caused. His dark eyes are focused on one certain person at the back of the class. Sakura blushed heavily, immediately assuming that the new person is staring at her.

Naruto feels as though his heart stopped as the other locked gazes with him. He wants to demand _why_ is the other here, but it would only cause all of his classmates to pounce on him and extract information –against his will, no doubt- about the young man.

"Class, I'd like you to welcome your new classmate, Uchiha Sasuke. Please make his stay at Konoha High School a pleasant experience!"

* * *

**.: To Be Continued :.**

Whoa, longer chapter :) Feel free to ignore the **A/N** below XD

**A/N: **Uhh, **first**, I'm not sure with Kabuto's first name and I'm bad at coining **code names** for the cast. **Second**, I'm very sorry again with my "repetitiveness" in narration, but that's just how I write. The repetition is for emphasis, for greater impact, or "drama" :P There is also a healthy dose of symbolism and foreshadowing, but they're not yet too obvious at this point. I'm trying a new method of writing, so I hope you all enjoy this one! **Third**, I only planned up to the next chapter, but I could say I have a pretty good idea of what will be the major points of the story. **Fourth**, I'll be accepting suggestions and requests about the improvement of the plot as well as the pairings :) **Fifth**, this will be a **SasuNaru**, because it's the most awesome and _canon _pairing XD **Sixth**, the confusion over Naruto's parents will stay, along with the issue whether they died on the attack mentioned at the prologue. Consider it as an element of the plot. **Lastly**, nothing much, but I am falling in love with **Roy x Ed** –from Full Metal Alchemist- all over again –wide smile- If you people have **proof** supporting Roy x Ed, like instances in the anime/manga where the pairing is so_ obvious_, please TELL ME! –shining eyes-

* * *

**Next Chapter Contents**: We get to see Sakura and Naruto literally fighting over Sasuke :) Naruto's starting to develop _real_ feelings towards Sasuke, and Kakashi is worried that this improvement might affect Sasuke's performance on this important operation. Other events are also going to happen, so stay tuned for **Chapter Two – GARASU no Omoi (Glass Emotions)**

**Flames will be ignored and Reviews will make me a happy bunny :)**


	3. Chapter 2: Glass Emotions

**A/N :** Hello again, everybody:) I'm sorry that my updates are so slow, but I'm also writing other stories, along with catching up with the anime that I haven't watched yet XD I already know the breakdown of the story, so I hope that the flow would be easier to follow now :D

**Disclaimer : **_Naruto_ doesn't belong to me.

**Warnings : **Contains **SasuNaru YAOI **and **shounen-ai**. Full warnings at Prologue Chapter. Nothing explicit, but this story is rated **M** for a reason. This chapter contains the usual warnings that come along with Sasuke and Naruto's banter XD Sakura-bashing is here. **Itachi **is also here. **Naruto VS Sakura** in a fight for Sasuke, plus some sappy-fluffy scenes for SasuNaru fans out there :)

**Story : **I originally planned this to be a purely "modern/human" setting, but the _Kyuubi _and the _Sharingan _slipped into my planning, so this would be like a crossover between the modern world and the Naruto-world :D I think it's better that way, since it's rather hard for me to separate Sasuke from those red eyes, the same way I couldn't picture Gaara without him terrorizing people with the sand XD

**Please read on and enjoy!

* * *

**

**Chapter Two : Glass Emotions**

* * *

"Class, I'd like you to welcome your new classmate, Uchiha Sasuke. Please make his stay at Konoha High School a pleasant experience!" 

Their teacher seemed blissfully oblivious to all the zealous stares the whole class is giving the newcomer. Kanae-sensei gazed thoughtfully at the seating positions, ignoring how every female pushed their seatmates away (or to the wooden floor) in futile hopes of letting the newcomer sit beside them.

"Aa," She said in a soft voice, while everybody's ears zoomed in to listen to her decision. She smiled kindly at her students, before she pointed at the very back of the class.

"Uchiha-san, please sit beside Uzumaki-san," She told the newcomer, who didn't even wait for any other instructions. Sasuke strode confidently towards where his client is, but didn't give semblance of recognition to the blond.

Despite Sasuke's apparent aloofness towards him, Naruto couldn't help but think that he looks irresistibly hot in their school uniform.

**

* * *

**

Class ended all too slowly, but he's glad that it's done. He stretched his arms out, his chair tipping backwards slightly. He shot his bodyguard-slash-classmate a _look_, but Sasuke's contentedly staring at their wooden desks.

Naruto tentatively raised a hand and tapped the dark-haired male on the shoulder. At Sasuke's withering glare (tinged by not-so-small curiosity), he simply grinned broadly, before he said, "Want me to show you around school?"

It seemed that the awfully-normal suggestion startled Sasuke, for he averted his eyes and mumbled, "Whatever… Let's go."

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, I'm going to show you around school!" Sakura-chan said with a sweetened smile, her voice reaching an all-time high. The other girls inside the classroom glared hotly at her, but she doesn't seem to care. Come to think of it, her eyes look oddly glassy…

"…Uzumaki is going to show me around," Sasuke said solemnly, unable to hide from his expression the terror he must have felt when this girl suggested that she show him around school.

Sakura proved that her 'power of love' is much stronger than Sasuke's wishes when she unthinkingly latched on Sasuke's right arm, forcefully steering him towards the door. She suddenly stopped dragging her Sasuke-kun; she turned around to Naruto with a strange glaze on her emerald orbs. She pulled the Uchiha's bag away from him, and dumped it, along with her own pink-colored bag, to Naruto's arms.

And she spun Sasuke around (who still looked surprised that such woman had the gall to manipulate him like this) and made her way out the room, leaving behind a baffled and angered Naruto behind.

* * *

It has been a lot easier to hide from the students' view today than the other days, though Temari suspected that it must be because almost everybody is interested on chasing the transfer student, Uchiha Sasuke, around. 

"Looks like Red Eyes got himself quite a rabid fangirl," Shikamaru pointed out with a stifled yawn, disinterestedly watching the pink-haired menace trying to pull Sasuke's arm away from its socket.

"…I think it was reinforced by Platinum," Temari remarked pointedly, cerulean eyes watching her partner's reaction to the other member brought up in their conversation. To her disappointment, the lazy teen didn't even raise an eyebrow in recognition of his long-time mission partner.

"Temari, reporting," Temari spoke to her blazer's collar, where her minute communicator is attached, seeing that trying to wheedle Shikamaru into talking about his love-life is pointless. Shikamaru's eyes raked around the particularly empty hallway, but still on-guard about possible eavesdroppers.

"…Yes. Our mission regarding Haruno Sakura is complete. The results are better than expected." The blonde said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Their boss' voice flowed out from the communicator. After a couple of moments, Temari spoke again. "…We're switching our target to Hyuuga Neji, then."

Another pause, before, "Yes, Itachi-sama."

Shikamaru was still writing down the report required of them, when a familiar voice asked hesitantly from the mouth of the corridor. "Shikamaru-kun? What are you—" It was Rika, the cheerful, happy-go-lucky girl that's in Naruto's class. She looked confused and terrified at the same time; she must have heard quite a lot of their conversation.

Before Rika could even scream, Temari already furnished her weapon—the scarlet fan. With one whip of her unopened fan, a strong gust of wind erupted from nowhere and dashed to slice the poor girl up. In less than five seconds, Rika's body is already filled with slice-like wounds. She looked absolutely shocked, not expecting her sudden death.

_If only she didn't wander around here_, Temari thought ruefully, before shrugging. She walked calmly towards the glass windows. She tapped the windows with her fan—causing the glass to break into millions of sharpened pieces, making the scene look like an accident, since the broken windows could be blamed for the slices on Rika's body.

Without another glance, Temari and Shikamaru left the scene, only a bit repentant about having to kill a witness.

**

* * *

**

He leaned against a wide, sturdy tree, sighing deeply as he watched the wind carry some of the leaves away. The leaves sometimes ended up on the lake just a few meters away from him; the leaves sometimes ended up on the grass-covered ground. It's a good thing that their next class is still more than an hour away, since it gave him an opportunity to sneak out here and _brood_.

Brooding and Naruto never mixed well, but he's willing to try it this time. After all, it's not like he could do anything else, granted that his best friend is being superbly snotty and mean just because of _flirting_ with the new student—who happened to be his bodyguard!

Normally, Sakura-chan's weird quirks when she's "in love" don't disturb him at the slightest bit. He wondered what made this case different, but it's not like he had to wonder too much. If his uncontrolled blushing and pounding heartbeat were any indication, it only meant that—

_No, no, no,_ He shook his head, feeling the light breeze idly play with his golden bangs. He could still feel those lean, muscled arms hold him securely against a hard, warm chest…

_Stop, stop!_ He could feel his face heating up again and it's all Sasuke's fault! Aside from the constant silent trailing after him, the Uchiha did nothing but criticize his clumsiness and 'stupidity'. Sasuke's mean to him, Sasuke's aloof and cold, Sasuke's—He's _Sasuke_. And, and—

"Where the hell have you been?" An irritated male voice came from behind him, causing Naruto to jump at the sudden intrusion. His heartbeat sped up some more (instead of calming down) when he saw who the 'intruder' was. His blue eyes widened, his mind droning on about how Sasuke should be in Sakura's claws, err, hands at the moment.

"—Sasuke?" He could see the more-than-rumpled state of the sleeves of Sasuke's blazer, the places he supposed that Sakura-chan attacked on her hopes of becoming literally attached to the moody Uchiha. Sasuke, if Naruto didn't know that he's an emotionless bastard, looked positively livid.

"How am I supposed to protect you when you suddenly go out of my sight?" Sasuke's voice didn't rise, but there's that definite undertone of worry and concern, causing Naruto to smile joyfully at his bodyguard, current predicament about his confusing feelings pushed towards the back of his mind. The bodyguard looked startled at his client's sudden good mood—a scarily-adorable expression that Naruto is sure would take more than a year before it could reappear again.

"Ha, you were worried!" Naruto crowed gleefully, pointing excitedly at the taller male, before putting on a fake-hurt expression as Sasuke rolled his eyes at his enthusiastic (if not incredibly childish) behavior. "Admit it!" Naruto continued to say, his eyes shimmering brightly.

Sasuke looked like he wanted to cut off the finger waving at him, but he managed to restrain himself. "…Keep deluding yourself," Sasuke told him caustically, before the Uchiha settled to sit beside him, their shoulders touching. Naruto expected his bodyguard to make some space between them, but he was all too pleased when Sasuke didn't do that.

Seeing that Sasuke is in a relatively good mood, Naruto decided that it's better to do _this _now. With a pleased (and slightly nervous) smile, he leaned his head against the strong shoulder. He expected the Uchiha to hurl him towards the freezing lake's waters, for his daring and tactile action, but—

Sasuke didn't pull away.

* * *

"I saw it." Kakashi's voice is sharp and cold, his visible eye staring hard at Sasuke's glaring eyes. The silver-haired man followed Itachi's orders of working at the blond's school—he managed to land the perfect spot as a teacher. 

True, he's glad that Sasuke's slowly regaining his emotions back, but, damn it, why _now_? Why with their newest target?

Sasuke didn't make any protests or agreements to Kakashi's words, but it's obvious that he _knows_ what the silver-haired male is talking about.

"The mission is our top priority." Somehow, he felt the need to remind the younger one of that particular statement.

Sasuke's only answer is his acidic glare, before he disappeared in a black blur, probably off to follow Naruto.

His coldly-spoken words drifted in-between the comforting breeze.

"I know that."

**

* * *

**"Please don't harm Naruto." 

"Aa, I should've known that you're going to be here as well."

"Don't change the subject, Kakashi."

"…I can't promise you that."

"…Kakashi! You know that it's unfair to do that to Naruto—"

"…I'm sorry."

"Kakashi!"

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" A woman with a shapely figure asked her boss casually as she submitted her report inside this eerily-darkened room. Her boss, a feminine-looking male with grayish-black hair and ruby eyes, only stared at her. 

Assuming that Uchiha Itachi's unwavering stare meant that he's interested at her, she strode seductively towards the red-eyed male, her hips swaying provocatively, stopping just before Itachi's lap. Her boss' gaze didn't waver—honestly, it's starting to freak her out—but she continued on with what she started. After all, if she could be with this gorgeous male, even for just one time, it's going to raise her status among her lab-mates!

She started slipping one perfectly-lotioned hand upwards, slowly unbuttoning her blouse, unhurriedly letting her boss see inch-by-inch of her skin. She was about to unbutton the third button (from her waist) when Itachi's hand shot up and stopped her movements. She smiled at her boss' eagerness, but it all disappeared when those ruby orbs glowed a blood-red hue.

"I-Itachi-s-sama," She whispered slowly, feeling her wrist crack from the sheer pressure of Itachi's hands.

"The answer to your earlier question is," Itachi said those words with the warmth of liquid nitrogen, "We all have our reasons." The superior smirk did nothing to dampen the growing fear slithering up her torso, crawling inside her pounding heart, blurring her vision.

"…I-Itachi-s-sama," She whispered again, more fearfully this time, as though seeing her upcoming death printed in those glowing ruby orbs.

"I have no need for you anymore." Itachi said slowly, hands growing unbearably hot in a split-second. Those deadly red eyes were the last things woman saw before bluish-violet flame engulfed her whole body, burning her instantly to cinders.

Itachi didn't even flinch as he burned one of his secretaries right in front of him.

* * *

"I heard you're becoming _attached_ to our target, little brother," Itachi said thoughtfully, eyes assessing his younger brother's reaction carefully. 

"…That's bullshit, and you know it, Itachi," Sasuke said steadily with a hateful glare. Itachi couldn't help but think that his brother used to be more subdued before this particular assignment, but now… he's more uncooperative than ever.

"That's Itachi-sama to you, foolish little brother," Itachi said coolly, haughtily, priding on himself to be the only one to invoke such maddening hatred on his emotionless younger brother.

Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something filled with disdain and loathing, but he stopped himself, seemingly cross with himself, before he turned on his back and left the room. But Sasuke's threat, littered with something that Itachi hoped to be pure, untainted revulsion, lingered in the tense air that settled inside the room.

"Someday, I'll kill you."

* * *

**.: To Be Continued :.**

It has less action than the previous chapters, but to me, it has more of the emotional dramas T.T;; I hope somebody's still reading this, considering that the last update was awfully far-away…

**Contest: **There's that dialogue only segment above. First three correct guesses could request a SasuNaru oneshot from me :) Just include the keywords or the scenario or the genre of the oneshot you want XD

**Next Chapter Contents**: Mostly about Sasuke's past—along with his reasons for joining and hating Itachi. Sai, Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade would appear… Sasuke angst and some more inclinations at SasuNaru from Sasuke's POV… All those on **Chapter 3: The Hands of Sin**.

**Flames will be ignored and Reviews will make me a happy bunny :)**


	4. Chapter 3: Hands of Sin

**A/N :** Hello again, everybody:) I'm sorry that my updates are so slow, but I'm also writing other stories, along with catching up with the anime that I haven't watched yet XD I already know the breakdown of the story, so I hope that the flow would be easier to follow now :D

**Disclaimer : **_Naruto_ doesn't belong to me.

**Warnings : **Contains **SasuNaru YAOI **and **shounen-ai**. Full warnings at Prologue Chapter. Nothing explicit, but this story is rated **M** for a reason. Some spoilers regarding the Uchiha Clan murder (it's a bit descriptive, so watch out for the eeek!blood). Sadism for Itachi. Sasuke's past, and some less fluffy and more introspective SasuNaru.

* * *

**Lone Flower**

**Chapter Three: The Hands of Sin

* * *

**

It's true that he disliked a great deal of things. He disliked perfumes, sweets, talking to people, being near people, being touched, idiots—and a whole lot more. However, very few things managed to get unto his nerves to the point that he wanted to incinerate them right on the spot.

One of them unfortunately happened to be standing casually in front of him, blocking his way away from the garage. Long, silky-straight hair moved along with the night wind that passed, the breeze bringing a chill that affected neither the two of them.

"What do you want, Orochimaru?" The younger male asked, though his tone was void of all emotions, except for the tiny hint of annoyance and distaste. The older one didn't seem to mind the frosty reception; after all, he wasn't expecting Uchiha Sasuke to suddenly greet him brightly, anyway.

"I'm here for a little chat," Orochimaru's tone suggested something harmless, but they're both working for the same field—dealing with death, darkness, shadows and evil on a daily basis—and Sasuke knew that there was nothing safe regarding the snake-like man.

Sasuke didn't give any noise of acknowledgement, which only caused the smirk on Orochimaru's superbly-pale face to widen. "I'm just a little curious, I swear," The older male continued, but Sasuke's gloved hands were already shoved into his trench coat's pockets, ready to use his weapons when the other spoke the wrong syllable.

"Why did you take this mission?" The tone was icy; it seemed to have frozen not only the fluttering of the breeze, but also the passage of time. Orochimaru's teasing smirk was still present, but the slitted-golden eyes spoke volumes that the younger Uchiha knew better than to ignore.

"I have my own reasons," The other flatly replied, not giving anything away, but the more experienced male—he was the member of the famed Sannin, after all—managed to read the faintest flicker of uneasiness and lack of control that wedged through the other's shorter frame.

"It doesn't have anything to do with Naruto-kun, does it?" Orochimaru asked slyly, and he barely managed to avoid the piercing gust of wind that went his way. Golden eyes slowly blinked from his new position, a bit surprised that Sasuke managed to perform such a high-speed combination attack from fire and wind.

The Uchiha's face could be classified as the picture of utter calm and nonchalance, but the morphing of those obsidian irises into the widely-feared crimson hue betrayed his increasing displeasure with their conversation.

"Tsk, tsk, you're still so irritable, Sasuke-kun," The famous Snake Sannin commented cheekily, dodging a _kunai_ that Sasuke flung accurately towards him. If he stayed there for one more microsecond, his forehead would have had a nice, deep hole in it by now. Even though he was merely testing the young one's reasons—and of course, he had uses for that in the future…-it was still nice to know that Sasuke's skills have been improving.

It only meant increased success for his future plans.

Sasuke was about to launch another series of attacks, but Orochimaru already jumped out of harm's way—not that the younger male couldn't make a fire technique that could reach him. It was just Orochimaru's way of showing that he wasn't interested in a serious battle at the moment. Plus, Itachi would not be very happy if he found their garage destroyed.

"We're not humans, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru's statement floated in the garage's space, folding neatly along with the shadows that draped themselves over Sasuke's shoulders.

"…Stop acting like one."

**

* * *

**The only sound in the security-protected room was the constant drumming of fingers tapping against keys. Even the occupants' breathings were silent—skilled fighting skills throughout the years honed them to become as inconspicuous as possible. The bluish-white glow from the computer screen was the only light source, and it enfolded the occupants' with a shadowy look, making them seem a lot more mysterious. 

The stillness was disrupted with the polite knocking on the door; without waiting for permission, a long-haired male went inside the room. His presence was acknowledged when a white-haired man turned to him, brown eyes asking for his report.

The newcomer got the hint and quickly started reciting his mission report with a monotonous voice. "There was a dead body found near Uzumaki Naruto's homeroom classroom. The person's body seemed to have been sliced up to pieces by the glass from the broken window. Follow-up inspection using Byakugan confirmed that the slices were caused by wind _chakra_ forced to collide against human flesh."

He paused for a while, waiting silently for his boss' reaction. The older male nodded stiffly for him to continue, which he did without any hesitation. "Haruno Sakura was also observed to be behaving differently. A new student arrived at class, and he seemed to attract a lot of attention." The reporter sounded slightly displeased with the person he was talking about, but the boss didn't seem to mind.

"Uzumaki Naruto was also found to be quite attached to the new student. It was also confirmed in our records that the transferee also works as his personal bodyguard." Now, an undercurrent of worry and anxiety laced the younger one's voice, but it was still barely perceptible.

He bowed deeply after speaking and waited for further instructions.

Jiraiya, one of the members of the former legendary Sannin team, nodded to him again and moved closer to the person continuously typing on the screen. He lightly tapped the person on the shoulder, and after a few moments, the bluish-white screen changed to show a plain white screen with weavings of black-inked instructions for their next mission.

"I'll send out the mission objectives to you in a few moments. Kindly alert your partner about this. Conference would be held at 21:30 sharp." The woman turned around on her chair, wisps of golden hair moving slightly with the wind. Amber-colored eyes glittered with determination and seriousness from beneath the long bangs as she regarded her ex-teammate and one of her best soldiers.

"You're dismissed, Neji."

Hyuuga Neji bowed down again, before leaving.

"Yes, Godaime-sama."

**

* * *

**"Any questions?" Itachi asked monotonously, scarlet eyes watching the strange soldier intently. The said soldier continued to smile in same manner that irritated and baffled a lot of his acquaintances and superiors, seemingly unaffected by the intense scrutiny. 

The stoic young man almost sighed at being unable to completely read the other, but he passed that opportunity for another time. After all, it really doesn't matter much why this person chose to smile at all possible times, as long as he manages to complete all his missions with flying colors.

Even if it was irritating.

"I suggest that you don't underestimate them too much. They've been part of the Legendary Sannin, after all." Itachi said, his statement sounding as though he was a bit wary of the two ninjas' strengths, when in reality, he was only concerned about finishing the job as cleanly and quickly as possible.

"I think I can manage, Itachi-sama," The smile didn't fade away at the slightest bit. Itachi wondered idly if Sai could continue to smile like that when he's faced with the too-real horrors of _Tsukiyomi_. It's a very entertaining thought, to say the least. After all, if he squinted a bit, Sai could almost pass as his sibling.

But then again, the feeling of breaking and rebuilding Sasuke's mind could never be rivaled by anything else—aside from gaining the goal that he's been striving for.

"Very well. Dismissed." Itachi said, a bit distracted as he was suddenly overwhelmed again by the urge to go over the whole project's methods, if only to ensure that he'll get his goal in the end.

He'll succeed, he kept on telling himself, feeling the raw power pulsing through his veins, his knowledge of a vast range of techniques unrivaled, even by the feared Orochimaru.

He'll succeed, and to be able to do that, he must eliminate all the possible obstacles. He idly recalled Sai's mission, smirking at his sinister planning.

_Spy over Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

* * *

_

His life used to be perfect.

He was the younger of the two siblings to the wealthy and famed Uchiha clan. He had a stern, caring father. He had a gentle, compassionate mother. He had a genius older brother who was admired and praised by everybody, including himself. He was cheered on by his relatives and family friends, confident that he'd also be as refined, intelligent and one-of-a-kind like his brother.

He once had a perfect life, and he never really wished for anything else, and he never really complained. He was contented with living day by day, stumbling over his smaller steps as he tried to catch up to his admired brother. He was contented to be lead on by his idol, content to be shrouded in the shadows cast by the immense brightness. He was contented to be told that he'll one day, someday, grow up to be just like someone else.

He once had a perfect life.

One day, a few weeks after his eighth birthday—celebrated by his loving mother cooking his favorite food and baking his favorite cake, his father not frowning or scolding him, his older brother allowing him to stay by his side for the whole day, his other relatives cheerfully smiling and wishing him well—everything that he has cherished, has relied on, was taken away.

He was coming home from school, eager to show his parents about his report card that boasted marks that scored higher than all of his classmates. He noticed the dimmed lights of their huge grounds, even though it was already early evening.

He remembered feeling the rising dread that cradled him forebodingly in the dark. He remembered the way the night's breeze passing around him, carrying a certain metallic edge, reminding him of the mildly-viscous liquid pulsing through his veins. He recalled running frantically towards his home, throwing open the doors haphazardly, panicking and trying to control himself. He recalled smelling the metallic tang of blood as he ventured closer to his parents' room. He remembered the hesitation that made his whole body tremble as he saw the trickle of crimson stains from inside the room, overflowing to the corridor.

He remembered feeling acidic bile rising to his throat as he saw his parents' throats, exhibiting twin neat slices, torrents of blood soaking their formal clothes. He recalled seeing his mother's kind, love-filled face, his father's strong and serious look…

He remembered seeing his older brother—his beloved, praised, admired, golden, best brother—drenched with blood, a blank look overcoming his feminine face. The blood that splattered across his clothes and creamy skin matched the hue of his eyes terribly, and he remembered feeling that insistent bile rising.

He remembered his older brother's controlled words, devoid of any emotion, any at all, telling him, "_I couldn't do anything_."

It was then, that Uchiha Sasuke's life changed.

**

* * *

**He was eight years old when everything that meant everything in his entire life was taken brutally away. He didn't even suspect his older brother, because, it just couldn't be. Itachi was good, respected, admired, cherished—and he wouldn't do anything that could destroy or taint the Clan's name. 

He believed those things, but the nagging feeling in his mind never ceased, especially after Itachi led him to the tall towers that were normal offices in the first floors, but draped in eternal darkness and covered with high-technology gadgets above. Especially after they entered the building's security-protected doors with ease that he watched in movies, with Itachi only leaning slightly down for retinal scan, and intoning the word: Suzaku. Especially after Itachi simply glanced at him, and sent him off to a silver-haired man, with only the words 'I'll leave his training to you'.

He was trained by Hatake Kakashi, a much-older male with a certain liking for porn novels, and the things that he once held dear regarding his older brother crumbled into dust. The secrets to the Uchiha Clan were revealed, slowly, but surely to his curious and seeking eyes.

There was no doubt, a year after he started his training, that Itachi was the one who killed and wiped out the entirety of the once-famed Uchiha clan.

It was then, that Uchiha Sasuke's life regained a purpose.

_Kill Itachi and avenge the Clan._

**

* * *

**It was by complete coincidence that he managed to see _him_. He was simply tagging along with Kakashi on his mission, as his older brother and current boss commanded him to start going out and seeing how they performed their operations. He quickly got bored of watching blood drawn out of weak, human flesh, though. 

It was amazing and terrifying to see that he has forgotten almost everything that he has felt throughout his first eight years of life. He managed to gain the cynical and uncaring outlook towards others, the arrogant and confident aura that many hated and envied, the total lack of any emotion that was the one thing that set him and his brother apart from all the other workers and assassins.

He was simply wandering around the area that represented the place where the affluent and greedy loved to dwell. He usually didn't give a damn regarding this people, but there was a vivid commotion that was occurring not too far away. Since he was bored, he made his way closer to the lavish mansion, hearing the pleasant thrum of gunshots erupting from inside.

He was also intrigued to see a huge number of men dressed in black, guns flanking their sides. It seemed that whatever their mission was, it very was important. Such important things were the most enjoyable to take away, he had learned, and he stayed to watch. He wasn't worried about getting injured or getting into a fight—that was the perfect opportunity to test his newly-learned fire technique.

After a few more moments of waiting in boredom, he saw a flurry of activity, with one burly, muscled man briskly walking forward, a small, fragile kid in his hands. The obviously-kidnapped kid was wildly, and pathetically, struggling against the stronger hold. Sasuke was torn between amusement and slight irritation at the futile attempts of the golden-haired boy to be free of the rough hold.

Black eyes observed the huge man whisper something to the blond's ear, causing the child to freeze and start kicking and screaming more wildly.

He didn't know—he still doesn't know—why he did it, but he moved forward, within the huge man's field of vision, and spoke in such a cold voice that he only heard being used by Itachi. It wasn't really nice, but maybe, just maybe, if he could be more and more like his genius older brother, he could somehow gain the same—if not more, always more—strength the other possessed.

"Put the pathetic _dobe_ down," He remembered himself saying in a menacing voice, and he almost rolled his eyes at the surprised blinking by the other boy. The blond didn't look too much younger than him, but the mere innocence and purity that the other radiated was enough to make him feel as though he was some kind of an old pollution.

He didn't pay any mind to the array of guns pointed at him, at his forehead, at his heart, and he could only see the panicked look at the blond's face. There was a moment when he heard the tone of a finger shifting its hold and starting to fire, and he quickly formed handseals—just like his training—and created a barrier of _chakra_ around him, causing the bullets to hit the barrier and bounce back to their sources. It was no surprise to see, when the dust and commotion died down, the men-in-black hit with bullets and mostly dead.

Hmm, the barrier technique was really effective, huh…

He removed his hands from the handseal-formation he did just a while ago, resting them lightly on his hips as he threw the scared kid a confident smirk. This was just a stranger—a random kid, no matter how adorable-looking—but he was feeling elated at having shown a portion of his skills.

Sasuke was mildly miffed about the grains of dust that flew to his black sleeves, but he could just _sweetly_ ask Ino later to wash it for him—almost everybody in the headquarters, especially the girls, was a simple pushover for him to bully. It made him feel slightly guilty, but it wasn't his fault that they couldn't see past his sharpened, even though still childish, facial features.

"What did you do?" The child asked him with unconcealed wonder, moving away from the dead guy that once captured him. Sasuke tried hard to remember, back then, when was the last time somebody asked him with such amazement in their tone. Nobody really noticed him—because it was all Itachi, Itachi, Itachi—

He waved one pale hand, beckoning the other to come closer and away from the filthy mess of dead bodies. The other surprisingly followed without any question, the awe still shining from his azure-colored eyes.

"I killed them," He said unapologetically, almost afraid that the other would shriek and shy away and he would be forced to kill him too, but it never came. The child-like admiration never faltered, and the young boy moved even closer, small steps trying to reach his dark-haired savior.

"Be careful I saved you, _dobe_," He added, feeling slightly relieved. He added the insult at the end of the sentence, not because he really thought the other was a dead-last (how could he know? They never knew each other before…) but because the other looked adorably confused whenever he said the word.

The child frowned for a moment, before he enthusiastically asked. "Hey, hey, what's your name, mister?" The blond tugged at one pale hand, and he was surprised that he didn't instinctively slap the hand away. It was a new sensation—almost warm and likeable—but _mister_? Did he look that _old_?

"It's Sasuke, usoratonkachi," He replied with a hint of annoyance, his pride about his dashingly good looks (that everybody kept on pointing out) suffering from the blond's 'mister' comment.

A wave of understanding dawned on the child's face. "Oh. Thanks, Sasuke!" The kid returned with the same enthusiasm as before, his bright grin almost drowning out the sun's rays. Blue eyes were scrunched happily as he grinned widely, and Sasuke was glad that the other's eyes were practically closed.

It only meant that the blond didn't see the uncontrollable flush of heat that overtook his cheeks.

**

* * *

**It wasn't obvious then, and it's still not obvious now. However, Kakashi knew that there's something with Sasuke—his own student—that promised to uncover something that's much more powerful than his older brother's. That was the reason why he taught Sasuke about the techniques that he developed himself, the reason why he supervised each and every one of the young one's training. 

He knew that Itachi most likely suspected something already, but he was already too close to his goal of letting Sasuke uncover the great power residing deep inside him. It wasn't for the good of the organization that Itachi is currently leading—he wants Sasuke to be strong for him to be able to achieve his goal of avenging his lost family.

He really wanted Sasuke to become strong.

That was also the reason, why he was surprised to see Sasuke—now, of all times—developing _human_ emotions. He was suddenly interested in interacting with people, no, a specific person, and it wouldn't do well with his one-track training to become the most powerful soldier possible.

That was also the reason why he reported to Itachi about Sasuke's sudden disappearances ten years ago. They found out that the younger Uchiha had been sneaking out of the premises and watching the blond boy, Uzumaki Naruto. By then, Kakashi had known that building ties that would undoubtedly broken would only push Sasuke further into the abyss of loneliness and betrayal, so he tried to break the ties—

And it resulted with Sasuke loosing precious control, letting out immense amounts of dark-stained _chakra_, poisoned with evil and darkness and all the things that weren't pure or human. It was then that Kakashi really resolved that he'd harness Sasuke's power, and let the other achieve his goal.

That was the only reason—and he wanted Sasuke to succeed—why he was reporting now to Itachi suggesting that they try to move Sasuke away from the operation because the other was rekindling the interest formed ten years ago.

Hatake Kakashi just hoped that he didn't feel too guilty and miserable about his suggestion.

**

* * *

**The moon's silver rays pierced through the thin fabric of the curtain, the opened window letting in the night's un-warm breeze. The constant entrance of wind played lightly with the ends of his bluish-black bangs, fanning them away from his currently-frowning face, and returning them back to settle near his narrowed black eyes. 

He was seated calmly near the window, staring at the vague silhouette of dense clouds floating around at night. One large cloud moved forward and blocked the moonlight, creating a haze of grayish-blackness over his face, making him the brightest piece in the entire room.

He was contemplating, something that he never did so openly, especially at such a dangerous place, but, yes, he was brooding. Kakashi obviously was displeased with the sudden turn of his actions and emotions, even though they were barely even noticeable. For starters, he's confident that the dobe didn't even notice, didn't even remember him, didn't even know that he was the reason why he lost control all those years back.

He dully recalled being chained to the walls, _chakra_-eating ropes binding his wrists and legs tightly, as he thrashed wildly, insisting to be let out for his daily schedule of trailing after the young blond boy with deep blue eyes. Now, of course, he rather understood the reasoning—that kid was the Power Itachi has been searching for, and any attachments would be a crucial mistake for their part.

He never wanted to taint Naruto with his hands covered with Sin. He never wanted to ruin the angelic purity and naivety and sheer innocence regarding the evils of the world that represented Naruto. The pure emotions that were perverted and disfigured in most of the humans existing were what made the blond so irresistible. Was it the reason, then, why he couldn't bear to turn the other's friendly actions down?

He shook his head, feeling his hands—hands that bathed in pools of blood, hands that sought to put an end to his older brother's life, hands that have been instruments in operations that caused too much grief and destruction, hands that mercilessly took lives away as though taking a piece of candy from a mere, powerless infant—tremble with his thoughts.

No, despite what Kakashi said, he didn't plan on becoming _too_ attached with the blond. Always, always, it was his own desires, own wants, own goals that were top priority. His top priority, for the past ten years, has been to kill Itachi and quell the urge to avenge the things that were viciously taken away from him.

He ignored the wise-sounding voice at the back of his brain that taunted him, reminding him that his priorities has drastically changed since the blond teen came into the picture.

It casually pointed out to him that, as it was before, when he destroyed an entire village just by sheer willpower and bursts of swirling purple-and-black _chakra_, Naruto once again, became his first priority.

_I don't want to taint your purity with my hands of sin.

* * *

_

**.: To Be Continued :.**

Whoa, longer chapter, to make up for the horrible, icky lateness :) This chapter focused mostly on Sasuke (his angst) and his past, so the next chapter would be filled with action, once again, and would be mostly focused on Naruto and the reason why everybody's after him. And uhm, Kakashi's bad. He's trying to break Naruto and Sasuke up :p

**A/N: **I'm sorry to tell you guys that in this fanfiction, everybody would really be trying to chase Naruto. I think it's a nice, umm, role-reversal, since in the manga, Sasuke's like the prize of a tug-of-war between Konoha and Sound—not that I'm complaining XD

**Guessing Game: **Yep, it was Kakashi and Iruka. I'll contact those who got it correctly; if I'm not able to contact you within a week, please do PM me :D

**Re: Suzaku**: It's the legendary phoenix of the south, and if I'm not wrong, it's the sacred beast that represents Itachi in the Akatsuki :)

**Next Chapter Contents**: Itachi's getting impatient, so he tells Platinum to try to provoke Naruto by trying to kill him using his friend's body. Nobody expected the Power to come out so soon… And why is Sasuke protecting the target and interfering with their plan? Next chapter is the **Rain of Tears**: Ino-Sakura VS Naruto VS Gaara-Neji VS Sasuke-Kakashi!

**Flames will be ignored and Reviews will make me a happy bunny :)**


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